Dyneins across eukaryotes: a comparative genomic analysis.

ABSTRACT: Dyneins are large minus-end-directed microtubule motors. Each dynein contains at least one dynein heavy chain (DHC) and a variable number of intermediate chains (IC), light intermediate chains (LIC) and light chains (LC). Here, we used genome sequence data from 24 diverse eukaryotes to assess the distribution of DHCs, ICs, LICs and LCs across Eukaryota. Phylogenetic inference identified nine DHC families (two cytoplasmic and seven axonemal) and six IC families (one cytoplasmic). We confirm that dyneins have been lost from higher plants and show that this is most likely because of a single loss of cytoplasmic dynein 1 from the ancestor of Rhodophyta and Viridiplantae, followed by lineage-specific losses of other families. Independent losses in Entamoeba mean that at least three extant eukar

SUBMITTER: Wickstead B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2239267 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature